Call me paranoid, but I think the children's food and toy industry is out to get me. My kids think purple ketchup and fried Twinkies are normal.

Some genius marketed soup as a finger food, which now coats the interior of my van. My daughter received an eyeball of Goo for her birthday and the slimy goop is stuck dripping off my ceiling, watching me wherever I go.

A different child wants the newest cell phone that is so small you need binoculars to see it. And now, someone has decided that kids today, despite being able to stay up all night IMing their friends, don't have enough energy. The solution? Cocaine Energy drink.

Energy drinks are a hot craze among kids, with over 500 new brands marketed last year. According to some studies, more than 30 percent of teens report using them. And why not? They are heavily marketed towards kids, advertise on their own MySpace pages and promise endurance, better sports performance, better sexual functions, increased energy and alertness, weight loss and claim to be the legal way to get a buzz. But are energy drinks harmful to children? Should we worry when our kids vibrate down the hall from their caffeine jolts, and when their energy levels peak, how will parents resist taking to vodka at noon or running away from home?

The main reason for the popularity of energy drinks is the buzz they deliver. They are loaded with caffeine. In addition, other ingredients like taurine and guarana have similar or boosting caffeine effects.

While the various drinks compete to deliver the biggest kick, the effects can be harmful to kids. Too much caffeine can cause heart palpitations or increased heart rates and has been linked to increased blood pressure and blood sugar, sleep deprivation, jitteriness and parents who want to bounce their kids off their walls into another state. One study in Chicago linked energy drinks to a significant number of hospitalizations due to caffeine abuse.

Additionally, some of these drinks contain B vitamins, which may result in mega-doses when multiple cans are consumed. Side effects can include rapid heartbeats, tingling and numbing of hands and feet. These drinks are also loaded with sugar, which is a concern in a society struggling to control obesity.

Another trend parents should be aware of is kids mixing energy drinks with alcohol for a better buzz. Of course, no alcohol is acceptable, but mixing them is a dangerous cocktail. While alcohol is a depressant, the stimulating effects of caffeine in energy drinks counteract this. The result is kids' not feeling as drunk as they are, drinking more alcohol and consequently experiencing increasingly impaired perceptions.

Some health experts are concerned that kids who use them as sports enhancers will develop a tolerance to the boost they provide and turn to steroids to replace them.

To discourage the appeal of energy drinks, encourage healthy meals at your house so kids aren't compelled to turn to them for missed nutrients. Energy drinks can not provide the balance of recommended vitamins and minerals otherwise found in a healthy diet.

Be aware of what your child is drinking. Some schools offer energy drinks in accessible vending machines. Also, talk to your child's sports coaches to see if they are recommending them to your child.

If you notice your child having a difficult time falling asleep at night, consider energy drinks as the cause. Caffeine effects can last for hours, easily interfering with sleep. Discourage your child from getting into a jolt-and-crash routine of drinking Red Bull for breakfast, crashing mid-afternoon and relying on another drink for a boost, not sleeping at night and repeating the cycle in the morning.

If your child has an underlying medical condition, it is important to discuss the effects of the drinks with your pediatrician. Additionally, some medications, such as those used for ADHD, may boost the effects of caffeine.

Talk to your kids about the risks of consuming too many energy drinks. An occasional drink is probably okay, but if you notice your kids have taken speed walking to new levels, developed shaking body syndrome or no longer seem comatose at noon, things have probably gotten out of control. Monitor their consumption if you let them enjoy the kick, but it may be best to help them to kick the habit.

Ann-Marie Berg of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a pediatric nurse practitioner whose column appears in other newspapers. You may reach her at amhberg@mchsi.com.

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